In the sale, printing, and distribution of custom business forms, the customary practice has been for a sales representative of a large business forms manufacturer to design a form for a customer, then write up an order for the form and submit it to a plant for production. The write up of the form and the submittal of the order typically were done manually. While that procedure is extremely worthwhile for large orders of forms, especially since it involves the expertise of someone skilled in business form design, for short runs of forms, e.g. less than 5,000, there are many circumstances in which it is not cost effective to proceed in this traditional manner. Partly for that reason, a number of software packages have been developed which allow someone with a personal computer to design business forms directly on the computer. If the designer has sophisticated printing equipment, then the forms may be printed by the designer, even including multipart or continuous forms. However where the user does not have sophisticated printing equipment, the forms design alone is not useful, because the forms design must then be reduced to paper, and the paper submitted to a forms manufacturer.
Typical computer software that has been developed for the design of business forms ranges from relatively simple software -- e.g. that sold under the trademark PerFORM by Delrina Technology, Inc of Canada -- to extremely sophisticated forms design packages intended to be used by forms manufacturers -- such as the F3 Pro Designer.TM. software sold by Bloc Development Corporation of Coral Gables, Fla.
One approach that has been taken that attempts to deal with some of the problems in the prior art for short run orders is the provision of software that allows one to place an order for forms directly from a computer terminal. AlphaGraphics, Inc. of Tucson, Ariz. provides software packages that allow one to "customize" information on a very limited number of pre-existing forms by inserting one's name, address, and logo on the forms. This "customizing" information is then transmitted via disk or electronically to AlphaGraphics, along with an order also placed by computer, for printing of the forms. While this can simplify the procedure for obtaining short runs of business forms, because of the very limited number of standard forms available, it is not truly for the production of custom forms, rather merely just for the provision of customizing information on pre-existing standard forms.
According to the present invention, it is possible to create truly custom business forms having a wide variety of parameters, designs, verbiage, and the like, at a customer's personal computer. The customer can then place an order for that custom form directly from his/her personal computer, and transmit the custom form -- as well as order information -- electronically (or by disk) to an order receiving location. At the order receiving location, an order verification is printed, credit is verified or payment made by credit card or the like is transferred, and a determination is made about the best location to print the form based upon where the form is to be delivered, form parameters, and the like. The form and order information are then transmitted electronically to a manufacturing location at which the form is printed and shipped. In this way, the total functions of forms design, ordering, and printing can be simplified.
A number of advantages associated with the invention are: the ability to allow the customer to lay out its own forms on personal computers; eliminates or reduces labor intensive portions of business form order preparation, such as design and composition; manages and automates the entire order entry process; decreases the time required to produce and deliver short run orders of business forms; and reduces the manufacturer's overhead costs in producing short run orders.
In order to maximize the utility and "user friendliness" of the system according to the invention, it is highly desirable to provide various graphic features and computer screen formats. Significant features are: the highlighting of only those functions that need be utilized on a particular screen, and/or highlighting only the available options from all of the options that are displayed; overlaying one screen on top of another so that significant portions of the underlying screen are available for viewing at the same time further options are being selected; and/or actually illustrating an object (business form) to be produced in pictorial manner so as to allow the user to readily visualize how the final form construction will appear, which can be particularly significant for multipart forms that are connected together along one edge.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for the production to order of custom business forms is provided. Each custom business form has a plurality of parameters that must be determined, and the inputting of order information is also necessitated. The system comprises: A first computing means for storing and manipulating data, at a first location. A second computing means for storing and manipulating data, at a second location, remote from the first location, and including a monitor. First control means for controlling the second computing means to custom design a plurality of first parameters of a business form, to produce a custom business form in machine format. Second control means for controlling the second computing means and storing price information, the second control means for displaying order parameters, including quantity and delivery options, for selection by an operator, and a second plurality of business form parameters. The second control means also automatically determines the first plurality of business form parameters from the custom business form in machine format and matches them with the second plurality of business form parameters so that all business form parameters from the first control means are entered in the second control means. Operator interface means for the second computing means for allowing operator selection of order parameters and entry of any of the second plurality of business form parameters not automatically determined from the custom business form in machine format. The second control means further includes means for controlling the second computing means to calculate prices once sufficient order and business form parameter data has been inputted, and, to provide a completed order in machine format. And, first communication means for transmitting the custom business form in machine format, and the completed order in machine format, from the second computing means to the first computing means. The second control means also preferably further comprises means for distinctively displaying which of the second plurality of business form parameters has not been automatically determined from the custom business form, and requiring operator selection through the operator interface means of the distinctively displayed ones of the second plurality of business form parameters before the order can be completed or transmitted by the first communication means.
The second plurality of parameters comprises a form type parameter which includes single sheet and multisheet edge connected set options. The form type parameter for the multisheet edge connected set option includes the further parameter of which edge the sheets of the set are to be connected at, and the second control means further comprises means for illustrating possible edges for connection dependent upon associated other parameters selected, and a pictorial simulation of the form configuration with the edge connection options highlighted, on the second computing means monitor. The second plurality of parameters typically include business form size, number of parts, color of ink, numbering options, and form type, the form type including continuous forms and multipart forms with the parts attached along an edge.
The second control means also preferably comprises means displaying a first plurality of options for selection once one of the second parameters is activated, and means for -- after selection of one of the first plurality of options -- displaying a second plurality of options for selection, and highlighting only those of the second plurality of options that are available for selection given the first plurality of options selected. This may be continued for other sets of options.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer selection and display means. This computer selection and display means comprises: A computer having a monitor; and, means for controlling the computer and monitor: to provide a plurality of a first set of selectable options on the monitor; and to provide a graphic display of second and third sets of selectable options overlying, but not completely obscuring, the first set of options. The means for controlling the computer and monitor preferably further comprises means for providing a fourth set of selectable options graphically displayed with the second and third sets of options, and highlighting only selected ones of the fourth sets of options depending upon the selection of the second and third sets of options; and means responsive to a preliminary selection of the fourth set of options for pictorially illustrating a simulation of an object to be created by control of the computer, so that an operator may more easily visualize the object to be created. As earlier described, this computer selection and display means is preferably utilized for the creation of a business form, with the first set of options comprising a business form type option including multipart forms, and a form size option, and the second and third sets of options for the form size option -- once a multipart form has been selected by the form type option -- comprising predetermined length and corresponding width options and either portrait or landscape orientation options, with a fourth set of options comprising top, bottom, right or left edge attachment locations. A rectangular business form is then pictorially illustrated with a highlighted edge, the highlighted edge corresponding to the fourth set of options preliminarily selected.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the simplified and effective design, ordering, and production of short run orders of business forms, utilizing user friendly displays. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.